The effectiveness of job boards in modern recruitment advertising

As technology evolves, so does an organisation’s approach to recruitment. The landscape has naturally changed from humble beginnings of print ads in local papers, to a more advanced process of posting to online platforms like social media, apps and professional networking sites.

However the era of the modest job board isn’t yet over, as Tudor Marsden-Huggins, Managing Director of Employment Office explains.

“If organisations want to recruit top talent they need to use a wide range of recruitment advertising mediums to source the right candidate. While this means embracing new and emerging social platforms, it certainly doesn’t mean abandoning job boards just yet.

“When used correctly, job boards can act as great anchors in a recruitment campaign. Each time a candidate views your ad or your brand they’re on another step of the recruitment journey. Posting on your website isn’t enough, nor is just a shout-out on social media. Job boards used in conjunction with a diverse range of platforms will ensure your job opportunity is viewed by the right candidates at the right time,” he says.

So what is the right way to use job boards in today’s recruiting landscape?

Marsden-Huggins says it’s not just about what you post, but when and where you post, which impacts the effectiveness of your job board advertisement.

“HR Managers and business owners alike can no longer ‘post and hope’ anymore. Businesses simply can’t afford to keep posting on job boards without a strategy. Look into the statistics for your industry, what niche job boards are used, what keywords people are popular, what categories they’re posted in and when your target audience is online.

“In addition, managers need to be jumping in the back end of the ad stats regularly, checking the views and tweaking the wording every week to get a good result. This is when you can start incorporating other content streams, share the job ad link on your social pages, send it around internally for staff to share, and add the link to your website. Only a holistic approach to recruitment advertising will ensure an effective result.”

While the way we use and interact with job boards will constantly change, in 2016 they remain a valuable tool in the recruitment process and enhance an organisation’s advertising campaign when used correctly.